Personally, I think these are some of the best times to take your children to Disney.
Sure, it's hot ... and they won't remember it ... but thats part of the fun.
We are going this weekend, and this will be her 11th trip. I'm so exicited! She'll be 20 months old this weekend, and already knows who Donald Duck, Mickey, Goofy and Belle are.
Here are my tips ...
Take them on almost any ride, without a height requirement. You know your child better than anyone else, I learned the hard way that even though my daughter was ten months old and shouldn't have been scared on HM, well, she was. She cried the whole way through. Funny story, so did I on my first time, but I was seven. Juliette thought Dumbo was one of the coolest rides, but I didn't let her ride it until she was 16 months old. Pirates get's an ooooo from her, so does Snow White. She, like someone else's child before my post, waves bye bye to Dopey. Too cute! I plan on taking her on the teapots this time around, we won't spin fast, but Julie likes to hold unto the computer chair and run around in circles, so I'm pretty sure she's got the dizzy factor down pact.
I recommend a good umbrella stroller. I'm planning on trading in our travel system and buying an Aria, but we live an hour away and go at least once a month while our passes are available, so a $200 stroller just for Disney doesn't sound like a bad idea to me. We have a cheap one from Target that's pretty decent that we use now, but we litterally have to bend over in half to push the thing, so it starts to hurt after awhile. Julie's walking now, so we have one of the monkey leashes *gasp, did I admit to that outloud* that I was totally against until I went once with my parents and they popped that little surprise out of the diaper bag. I was shocked, b/c in my "rules for watching my child" handbook that I gave them, I specifically said "No leashing of the grandchild." Get this, Julie LOVES the darn thing. Absolutely loves it. I think she knows it means we're going to Disney and she doesn't have to sit all day. So when your child is able to walk, that's something to consider.
Pack light ... the stroller I want weighs 9lbs. 9lbs!!! I can easily carry it and her and a bag unto a bus *or boat since we camp at Fort Wilderness* The stroller I have now, my dad has to carry since it doesn't like to stay folded. Then again, it was only $30 at Target, you get what you paid for sort of thing. Also, with the diaper bag, PACK LIGHT!!! Julie's a bit older than yours, but here's an idea of what we bring: diaper changing pad, ours has pockets where you can hold the wipe container and the diapers (I usually only have four at any given time)... sometimes I'm CRAZY and just bring this to the park in the stroller; two sippy cups; a change of clothes, a little bottle of sunscreen, her hat *which, if your child is anything like mine you'll pick up 457421387 times during the day* We have ponchos, which I'll be honest, we never seem to remember to bring with us
and I'm seriously thinking about getting the stroller fan sometime in the near future. I'm serious about the packing light thing ... you or your hubby or your stroller *when you can have the stroller* are going to have to lug a 30lb bag if you don't. Trust me, the first time we went to disney, I did ... it hurt and I was a grumpy person all day.
We tried a soft carrier the first time we went, and honestly, Julie hated it. We were both hot and miserable, and we live in Florida. She was four months old and teething, which I'm pretty sure was her PMSing ... I'm terrified of her becoming a teenager if that's what it's going to be like.
Oh, and our little secret. If your little bundle of joy just won't go to sleep, try a train ride. We sometimes will hop on it for 2-3 trips around the park, and usually by the end Julie's asleep. She's a cranky little devil, so it's hard to get her to sleep.
Also, the baby changing rooms are pretty sweet. Right now, I can't think of what they would be called on a map ... but I'm sure someone will correct me. Sometimes Julie is just to restless to eat *I mean, come on mom, what are you thinking!!* so we park it in there, get a diaper change and a good meal. Sometimes I'll rock her to sleep during her nap. I believe they have a place to warm bottles, I'm not sure. They're pretty useful. I've also heard that they have toddler potty's in them ... and we're potty training ... soooo, I'll be able to check out those ... they might be resourceful for you in the future.
Ok, is it lame that I can't think of anything else after writing a book. I think it's so much fun to go at this age, really. We have pictures with Mickey from the time Julie was 4 months. He's her favorite and the last time we went she kissed him on the nose!
Have fun, enjoy yourself ... and just keep the pace slow.
Amanda and Juliette
, I'll be bringing one!
